First I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Children’s the the ARC of the novel.

This was a fun YA read and I loved the throwback to all the 80’s movies. I enjoyed all the mentioned of the different Philly locations and I think if I lived there it would have been even more fun to read about those.

I really think this book will resonate with those in high school and those who recently finished. The author did such a good job bring back those memories and feelings you had when you were there.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and feel like it will be a great YA novel for teens.

A solid 4/5 star read.

Thank you to Delacorte Romance and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title.
This book is about a group of childhood friends who find themselves at the end of their senior year at a crossroads. Before they find themselves at different colleges and on different paths, Grace decides to plot a day of organized chaos.

The story takes place over the course of one day as the characters run amuck throughout Philadelphia. One day to just exist, to be free, and to be together.
The author makes the most of every chapter, and perfectly entwines a series of obstacles, hidden truths, and inevitable conversations.  
K.L Walther is one of the best authors at drawing up characters that feel so familiar and relatable. She hits the nostalgia of high school right on the head with this book. From the ever- changing dynamics of friendships, to the butterflies of a crush, to the fleetng memory of a first kiss, she brings emotion and wistfulness to every moment

Bonus for all the Taylor Swift Easter Eggs.
This book is reminiscent of all the best 80 RomComs, put into a modern retelling of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The best of both worlds.

This is a sweet YA noval about 4 childhood friends reconnecting at the end of their senior year of high school. It has a lot of Ferris Bueller and Philly references which were fun. The story was told from 4 different points of view made it interesting.

I love love LOVE this book!!! K. L. Walther has done it again. Truly one of my favorite authors for a good reason. I will say I did get a little second hand embarrassment but I can put that aside for how much I loved everything else. This book is such a fun read and transported right back to senior year with all my best friends and hopeful crushes. I cannot wait for this book to be out so I can make all my friends read it.

In this contemporary YA romance inspired by Ferris Bueller's Day Off, high school senior Grace Barbour orchestrates an unauthorized skip day with her best friends Isabel Cruz and Everett Adler, hoping to repair their fractured friendship before graduation. As the trio explores Philadelphia, eating cheesesteaks and crashing a wedding, Grace grapples with her growing feelings for Everett (Isa's ex-boyfriend), while Isa harbors her own secret relationship with Grace's protective brother James, who suspects his sister is up to something and orchestrates a skip day of his own to find her. The adults in the book are no less complicated, with parental drama, draconian school authorities, and often-too-convenient near misses complicating the teens’ adventures. Through alternating perspectives of all four characters, their tangled web of relationships, buried feelings, and shared grief gradually unravels over one momentous school day.

Walther excels at crafting distinct, multifaceted teenage characters whose complex emotions and relationships ring true. This includes how she portrays their struggles with anxiety and loss, parental relationships and changing friendships, and the joys of a last “childhood” hoorah before graduating into a new life chapter. The Philadelphia setting serves as more than just a backdrop, becoming a character in itself as the friends revisit meaningful locations. However, the multiple viewpoints and frequent flashbacks occasionally disrupt the narrative flow, the ending resolution comes abruptly, and some plot threads feel contrived and unlikely (for example, the over-the-top class mourning that Grace would be “out sick” for a day; that the four happen to abscond to Philadelphia on the exact day and on the exact same street as their vice principal; or the randomness of getting stuck in traffic next to one of their parents on I95 while dashing home.)

Ultimately, While We’re Young is a heartfelt exploration of friendship and coming-of-age, infused with humor and hope. Walther captures the fleeting magic of youth with authenticity and charm, reminding readers that even the messiest relationships can find their way back to connection. Like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, this book is a celebration of friendship that captures a sense of exhilarating freedom, delivering a heartfelt exploration of how relationships evolve and reminding readers that even amidst chaos, friendship, connection, and understanding can prevail.

Thank you Random House Publishing and Netgalley for this arc!

** Keep in mind that I am not the intended target audience as I am just on the cusp of being excluded from the target age (21) but I still consider YA one of my favorite genres & have read a lot of books in the genre. **

The Summer of Broken Rules is one of my favorite YA books, so I was excited to dive into this one. I have enjoyed the two books I have read by K.L Walther so far (The Summer of Broken Rules & What Happens After Midnights(

I think this definitely could be relatable to some especially if you are the age that the characters are in the book (17/18). It lightly explores the bittersweet feeling of growing up and that transitional time of life into adulthood; as well as the complexities of friendships and how they mold and shift throughout our lives.

I do think K.L Walther is a talented YA writer and provides sweet romance with interesting plots and characters; however i don’t think this book showcased her best work. I think since it took place over just one day it kind of felt a little monotonous at times & I felt that it ended abruptly. I liked all the friendships but I think we could’ve done with just two POV’s max. As far as relationships go I think that Grace & Everett were the most interesting and their chemistry could be felt more. I felt like the grief they all shared could’ve been explored a little more to bring some more roundness to their character development.

Overall I think this is a solid 3 star read, a sweet, easy to read escape that would be perfect for a summer day. I think it could’ve used a bit more roundness & development of characters and plot.

content warnings!!
This is YA & closed door but still discusses the topic of sex/sexuality & alludes to a scene between two of the main characters.
This book also touches on the topic of grief, loss & mentions cancer.

This was super cute and love the connections to Ferris Bueller! It wasn’t as great as Summer of Broken Rules but still a super sweet high school romance about friendships and love and family!! It did end without certain clarification of certain plot lines and I don’t know if that was intentional and supposed to be ambiguous or if a sequel is in the works?

If KL Walther is writing a book you know I am SPRINTING to read it. One of my favorites of her so far and I loved how it felt very nostalgic but a verg fresh take on a modern story. I’ll always look forward to her books because they make me feel like I’m still young!

3.75, rounded down. The concept was fun, but I had to suspend my disbelief at times, the pacing was slow a few times, and one of the love stories seemed to grow too suddenly. A major plot point was not addressed at the end. This had potential & I did like all the characters, especially Grace and James. I appreciated the depth of emotion for a seemingly fun plot line.

my favorite KL Walther yet! loved the intertwined love stories and Ferris Bueller vibes while it still felt like a very fresh, modern story. can’t wait for Walther’s next!

Like many of K.L. Walther's other books I was hooked from the very beginning. This book follows the POV's of Grace, her brother James and their friends Isa and Everett throughout the course of day. What starts out as a day off of school quickly turns into something so much more. This book is about family, friendship, loss, holding on to the good times. I really enjoyed the fast pace of the story and seeing the multiple POV's and the way the story unfolds throughout the course of the day. I would have loved a bit more at the end but overall enjoyed this book very much.

This was such an amazing YA story about friendship. With the same general concept as Ferris Bueller's day off I absolutely ate this up! I didn't want to put it down. I loved seeing the character growth and the relationships start and grow together.

very cutesy and ya. not my overall favorite and i honestly am outgrowing her writing as it feels like she’s trying to cater to a tiktok audience since the popularity of tsobr, but i didn’t hate it so that’s a win in my book.

thanks to netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was perfection. It combined some of my very favorite tropes—childhood best friends, siblings/best friends—and paired it with what K.L. Walther does best with an adventurous yet realistic story that grips you from start to finish.

The characters were so well-developed. Each had their own traits, backstories, and personalities and were far from two-dimensional. And Walther chose the perfect moments for each of the chapters from their points of view. I was rarely left wishing a moment could be seen from one of the others.

The story also had depth. It's being billed as a fun YA take on Ferris Bueller's Day off, and it could have easily *just* been that. But as a whole it was so much more—a story of loss, connection, and as cheesy as it sounds, the importance of friendship and found family.

What's even more impressive is Walther's ability to cram all of this into one book without it seeming too stuffed, too long, or too draggy at any point. I really flew threw the pages, rarely, if ever, bored.

But, of course, my favorite moments happened between Everette and Grace. I think I highlighted nearly the entirety of some of Everette's chapters because his feelings for Grace were just so achingly sweet. I could read 1,000 books about those two, their friendship, and their love and never get tired of it.

While We're Young has definitely made its way onto my top books of the year list if not my all-time favorites. I can't wait to read the finished version when it comes out in 2025.

Thank you Netgally and Random House for the opportunity to read While We’re Young early.

As a longtime K L Walther fan, I was so excited for this one. With a premise of Ferris Buller’s day off and four interwoven friendships, I flew through it in a few days. The relationships were predictable, but the journey and character development was still a lot of fun. Prepare for the best unofficial Senior Skip Day!

I am a huge fan of KL Walther and was so excited to read this new story from her! This book captures all of the feelings of a friend group growing and experiencing new things together. I love how well she captures the heartbreak and heart of coming of age stories. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this story!

While We're Young is K.L. Walther's newest novel that is a retelling of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Following Grace, Everett, and Isa through their day of shenanigans and hijinks on their ditch day, we get to truly dive deep into each one of these characters in less than 24 hours. We also get to follow Grace's twin brother, James, as he tries to figure out where they all went while also trying not to get in trouble with the principal (again). It's all about mending friendships, grief, love, and trying to live life despite so many things being thrown your way. It was so nostalgic reading this story because you can see a lot of the nods to the classic movie, but it is also a fresh tale that is made their own.

I have read every single one of K.L. Walther's novels and she never disappoints. Walther has such a knack for writing characters you absolutely fall in love with and never want to let go. I couldn't help but root for everyone and want even more of each character following their lives. Even though we get one day with them, you really get to dive deep into their problems and characteristics that are so incredibly real and relatable. I loved going along with the journey because yes, it was about a fun day in Philadelphia away from school, but it was also about this trio getting back together after multiple things made them break apart. Following four POVs, we really get to see where everyone's heads are at along with seeing what secrets are being held and processed through.

This book is definitely YA, but as an adult, still enjoyable. It's a fun read that also deals with important topics, just like all of the author's other books. Overall, I would definitely recommend for a quick, good time!

Side note- One of my favorite things ever with K.L. Walther's books is the Taylor Swift references. Some are super noticeable while others you really have to look for. It's a fun little easter egg game!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will be reviewing at a later date for School Library Journal. A cute rom-com, and a take on Ferris Beuller's Day Off.

I enjoy this author and I have not been dissatisfied as of yet. While we're young was a good, light hearted book that provides the right amount of seriousness, laughter, comfort and character development. I enjoyed reading this one and looking forward to many more by this author.

I did enjoy that they all had secrets that came to light throughout their adventure and that they were able to heal from their past. There is also mention of depression and seeking help for that which I thought was good representation.